Piriformis Syndrome

What is the Piriformis muscle?

May 2, 2005

The Piriformis is one of the small muscles deep in the buttocks that rotates the leg outwards. It runs from the base of the spine and attaches to the thigh bone (femur) roughly where the outside crease in your bum is. The sciatic nerve runs very close to this muscle and sometimes even through it!

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If the muscle becomes tight it can put pressure on the sciatic nerve and cause pain which can radiate down the leg. (see sciatica)

A common cause of Piriformis syndrome is having tight adductor muscles (inside your thigh). This means the abductors on the outside cannot work properly and so put more strain on the Piriformis.

What can the athlete do?

Apply heat.

Stretch the Piriformis muscle.

Strengthen the Piriformis muscle.

See a sports injury professional who can advise on treatment, rehabilitation and prevention

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